Her Charming Heartbreaker (15 page)

Her stomach quivered.
She managed to take another step without tripping over her feet. “I
usually demand it. But these aren’t that heavy.”

“Where do you want
them?”

“In the front seat with
the teacher in charge. She usually waits until they’re well on
their way before distributing them. Joyce is bringing some muffins
to keep their restless stomachs at bay.”

He carried the baskets
as if they weighed nothing. Eddie jolted herself into action,
looking around her, waving to a few people, trying desperately to
look the other way when Theo stepped onto the bus. But her best
intentions didn’t stand a chance against her inner vixen. She’d
always thought herself more of a shoulders person but the sight of
his butt in denim…

“Daydreaming
again?”

She smiled at Joyce but
didn’t tear her eyes away from Theo. “There’s no harm in
looking.”

“This basket of muffins
weighs a ton. Do you think he’ll offer to carry them up to the bus
for me?”

“I’ll take those,” Ben
offered.

“Thanks, sweetie.”
Joyce ruffled Ben’s hair and turned to Eddie. “Sorry, I tried,” she
said and patted her on the shoulder. “What do you think he’ll do
with himself now that Ben’s going away?”

“I’m guessing he’ll
keep to himself. In fact, I’ll even say he’ll ignore us and choose
to hang out with the boys.”

“And I bet you anything
he won’t last a day without our company.”

She’d rather not think
about that. “I should get going. There’s a stack of paperwork
waiting for me and I need to decide what to wear for my afternoon
tea with Mrs. Larson.”

“Has it already been
three months since Jimmy Larson’s last visit?”

She nodded. “There’s
something seriously wrong with my life when I start counting down
the days until my next fake date.”

“At least that’s
something. I’ve been…” Joyce bit the edge of her lip. “Don’t judge,
but I’ve been playing around with an online dating site. I thought
you should know, just in case I suddenly turn up at The Gloriana
with a date… your mouth is gaping open.”

“What do you expect?
When did this happen?”

“I’ve been thinking
about it for a while now. You’re not the only one freaking out over
another wedding and the prospect of sitting at the singles’
table.”

“Maybe I can talk Jimmy
into coming back for the wedding. Melbourne’s not that far away.”
Or maybe she could borrow Theo. If he was still around and if
Claire was still away and didn’t mind…

A loud cheer erupted
from the group of parents who’d come to see their children off. All
the kids were now on board the bus and waving from the open
windows.

When the bus finally
left, Theo strode toward them.

“Well? How does it feel
to see your little charge go off into the big wide world?” Eddie
asked.

“They grow up so fast,”
Theo said with a mock sigh. “Next thing you know, they stop
calling, and only come around when they need something.”

“You’ve got a few years
before that happens,” Joyce said. “He’ll be back soon enough and
then the real job of parenting will start with a vengeance.”

He looked at Joyce for
a long moment as if trying to decipher what she’d said. “Claire
should be back by then. And as much as I’ve enjoyed these last few
days, I think I’ll be glad to have my freedom back.”

“So you’re not going to
be a hands on dad?” Joyce asked.

Eddie wanted to drop to
her knees and start digging a hole... for herself. What on earth
had possessed Joyce?

Theo frowned, his gaze
jumping from her to Joyce who apparently hadn’t caught on to the
fact she’d put her foot in it.

“Does Ben even know
you’re his father?” Joyce asked.

* * *

Had she waved
goodbye?

Yes, she had. She was
sure of it.

Eddie had no reason to
feel bruised and humiliated. She made it to her car and, after
fumbling with the key, she managed to get the door opened before
she finally released the breath that had lodged in her throat.

Joyce’s foot in the
mouth blabbering had brought everything out into the open, making
it all that much more real and leaving Eddie floundering for words.
She hadn’t even known where to look. Certainly not at Theo.

When she’d tackled the
subject of his roadside kiss with him, she’d been diplomatic. And
when he’d suggested letting it go, for now, she’d agreed, assuming
they would both forget about it and get on with ignoring what she’d
come to accept as an aberration.

Happy days, Eddie had
thought. Sort of...

Now he knew they’d been
talking about him behind his back and reaching all sorts of
conclusions about his character and…

His mislaid moral
compass, Joyce had said as if she’d been personally wounded. As if
Eddie couldn’t fight her own battles. She could, but she’d chosen
not to.

Now he knew she hadn’t
put it all behind her. She’d faked her insouciance. He was a smart
man and would no doubt realize Eddie’s pride had been hurt.

She’d played it cool.
She’d pretended she could sweep it all under the carpet. But at the
end of the day, she was still a small town girl, with what some
people might think of as a small town mind.

Unable to stop Joyce’s
verbal regurgitation, she’d beat a hasty retreat. There was nothing
wrong with taking the coward’s way out.

She shook her head.
“Right about now I could do with a shot of indifference.” She
wished she could make the barrage of thoughts swimming inside her
head redundant, but one niggling thought remained. Probably the
worst one. The one she’d been ignoring… turning a blind eye to.
Theo Kendrick wasn’t the exception. He was like every other man
she’d ever met. Worse. He’d played with her heart and had used her
as a rebound—

While she’d been
reluctant to nitpick over minute details, she couldn’t help
thinking he’d played a dangerous game, teetering on a two-timing
cusp.

With that thought
bouncing around her mind, she started the car, put it into gear,
and reversed out of the parking lot.

Again she tried to
clear her head but she couldn’t get past the idea of Theo using her
to rally the troops, getting back on the proverbial horse, and not
letting Claire’s obvious rejections get to him.

Hadn’t she already
dealt with all her angst?

She had, yet Eddie’s
fingers clamped around the steering wheel. Claire Muldoon had been
giving him the run around, wounding his male ego, so he’d used her
to give himself a much-needed boost of confidence. He’d been
impulsive and she’d already decided it was something she could live
with. She might not be a natural born floozy, but—

Damn it. There had been
an edge of desperation in the way he’d held her against him, how
he’d made love to her mouth. As if he’d breached his own defenses,
fighting through the barriers that had kept him under control in
order to taste her, because he’d been thinking of nothing else
since the first time he’d laid eyes on her...

She scooped in a big
breath and chuckled. “Oh, the tales we tell ourselves.”

Well, she’d been
looking for a third disastrous relationship. Now she had one. Not
exactly a relationship, but close enough. It would have to do. From
here on end, only good things could come her way.

“Feel better now,
Eddie?” She drew in a calming breath and pulled the breaks on her
train of thought. There was only one way to go from here. Onward
and upward, she thought deciding with a firm nod of her head to
finally put her encounter with Theo behind her.

* * *

“Stop looking over your
shoulder. Eddie’s not coming back,” Joyce said. “Now I’m going to
have to apologize to her for butting my nose into something that’s
none of my business, and it’s all your fault.”

“You’re blaming me?
What exactly did I do this time?”

“Argh! You make me want
to jab you on your chest with my favorite finger.” Joyce growled
under her breath.

“Your fav—”

“This one,” she said
pressing her index finger against his chest. “You made me say what
she wouldn’t bring herself to say…” Jab. “…Because that’s the way
Eddie is.” Jab. “She doesn’t like unnecessary confrontations.” She
finished with a firm poke.

“Are you talking about
the same Eddie who used me for target practice?”

“She did no such thing.
You got in her way. You distracted her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t
have missed.”

“I suppose I should be
grateful for small mercies.”

“I hate doing this. I’m
a nice person and yes, I’m quoting from a movie and don’t lift your
eyebrow at me. It’s not my fault if you trigger my wrathful
side.”

“Is your wrath perhaps
slightly misplaced?” Bradford had been quick to say he and Joyce
understood each other and stayed out of each other’s way. He’d
sounded nonchalant, but there had been a hint of simmering...

“What are you
implying?” Joyce shook her head. “Don’t answer that and don’t
change the subject. We’re talking about Eddie. She deserves better.
She should have the best, then you come along and start stirring
things up, and it could not have happened at the worst possible
moment.”

He gnawed at the inside
of his lip. “I sort of know a little about that.”

“It doesn’t help to
talk about her behind her back.”

He raised both hands in
defense. “I didn’t prompt anyone to tell me about her private
business. In fact, the information was forced on me and I politely
listened.”

“If you’re so
considerate, why did you have to kiss Eddie? It’s not as if you’re
free. And don’t try to deny it.”

“You’ll have to take my
word for it. There’s no one in my life.”

“No one? I think you
need to explain that to me. Remember, we just saw Ben off, and he’s
someone. In fact, he’s living proof—”

“I’m not his
father.”

“Pull the other one.
He’s the spitting image of… mmm, let me think… Oh yes, you.”

He shook his head.

“Okay, if you’re not
the father, then who is?”

“I’m not at liberty to
say.” He brushed his hands across his face. He had to say
something. He couldn’t leave things as they were, with Eddie
thinking he was involved with someone else when he wasn’t. “I’ll
sort this out, somehow—”

“It might be better if
you left everything as it is. Is there any chance you might leave
soon?”

“I’m picking up an
underlying message.”

“How’s this for blunt.
Please leave. And I mean that in the politest way possible. We’ve
enjoyed having you around, but you’ve outstayed your welcome.”

“Are you speaking for
both you and Eddie?”

“What do you
think?”

He refused to believe
Eddie wanted to see the back of him. The prospect of leaving and
never seeing her again turned his stomach to stone.

“At least give her some
breathing space.”

Theo looked away, his
gaze following the road. Ben had gone off on his trip. He wouldn’t
be around to divert him with his constant chatter. And now Joyce
was telling him... advising him to stay away from Eddie. That in
turn meant staying away from Joyce’s café and the pub.

He looked back at Joyce
and hitched his hands on his hips. There had to be a way to
continue enjoying Eddie’s company and...

Theo raked his fingers
through his hair. “What’s the worst that can happen if I don’t stay
away?”

Joyce glared at him.
Then her features softened. “We’re all
fond
of you, Theo.
Eddie in particular. Don’t break her heart.”

Her heart? That
meant…

Did Eddie have feelings
for him? “Is there an option B?” he asked, his tone cut to the
chase crisp.

“Yes. I can’t believe
I’m going to say this.” She swore under her breath and shrugged.
“Break her heart.”

“You just told me not
to break her heart. Be serious.”

“I am. She wants a
third disastrous relationship. Make her happy and give it to
her.”

Chapter Twelve

After two days of
relative peace and quiet, Eddie thought she’d won, overcoming the
hamster pounding the wheel vicious cycle of thinking, but then her
girly parts raised the alarm. She tried to ignore the little tug
low in her belly, but as she locked her car and took a step toward
the pub, her heart gave a jolting thump as if warning her of
imminent disaster if she didn’t turn around.

She looked down one end
of the main street and then the other and then she spotted Theo
looking into the store window of what used to be the local knitting
wool and quilting supply store. It had exchanged hands a few years
back but the new owners hadn’t managed to settle into the humdrum
existence of Eden, and so they’d moved on. Twelve months down the
track and the place remained empty, which made her wonder what Theo
could find so enthralling.

Do yourself a favor and
keep walking, she told herself. She shrugged and turned back toward
the pub but only got as far as the main entrance. Stopping again,
she looked up and imagined raising a fisted hand in defiance of
whatever evil being was pulling her strings and having a laugh at
her expense.

She crossed the street,
her pace slow enough for her to come to her senses. The man should
be free to wander around town without being stalked. And she should
stop playing with the boundaries she’d put into place. Falling for
another woman’s man had to be the worst fate anyone could
endure.

“Window shopping again?
I thought you’d learned your lesson,” she said referring to the day
he’d found her and Joyce peering inside Brilliant Baubles.

When Theo turned and
smiled, something inside her tensed and released, like a high
tension wire suddenly coming undone, making her wobble on the
spot.